Following up on a new report from Bernstein Research, I'm back with a closer examination of the research (which focuses on the U.S. market) and an exclusive podcast with Jeffrey Lindsay, senior analyst and lead author. My special thanks to Jeffrey for fitting this interview in between trips. A value-add in this particular podcast: Another perspective on the controversial question: What is the potential impact of a tie-up between Vodafone and Yahoo?
Overall, the report is a good read. It covers all the bases, from mobile ad revenue predictions to estimates for mobile search revenues, and it recounts the results of a road test (Google vs. Yahoo) to determine (literally) which provider is getting more bang for the buck when it comes to paid search.
Indeed, mobile search performance is at the top of my radar as Peggy Albright (founder of Albright Research and MSG associate) and I have just wrapped up a white paper comparing mobile voice services available on the iPhone. More importantly, we have moved into the final phase of our the Mobile Search Performance Report (MSPR), an industry-first quarterly report documenting the mobile search experience across a range of geographies, operators, and search engine providers, providing insight into the key performance metrics, such as click-distance and mobile advertising relevancy.
While I may have my issues with some of the Bernstein report findings, there's no arguing the fact that Google controls a sizeable share of the U.S. mobile search market, and that despite the fact the search giant consistently delivers a poorer user experience (an observation based on MSPR findings as well as those reported by Mobile Commerce during a recent Mobile Search Master Class).
Based on brand reach research (number of visitors to a search property divided by the estimated total of visitors ever to access the search category ever in a month) and comScore estimates (as reported in September 2008), Bernstein Research reckons Google had 62 percent of the U.S. market in January 2009. Yahoo came in second with 30 percent and Microsoft's Windows Live finished third with 11 percent.
Listen to the podcast here. [19:21]
March 9, 2009
